The demon didn't give them time to settle.
It moved again the moment Kael's bloodline stabilized.
Faster than before.
Heavier.
More controlled.
Cyrus clicked his tongue.
"…It adapted again."
Kael didn't respond immediately.
He was already moving.
The lightning around him wasn't wild anymore—it was structured. Layered over his body like shifting armor.
But even so, he could feel it.
The strain.
Not overwhelming yet—
But building.
Every second in bloodline state cost something.
Not just stamina.
Something deeper.
The demon struck.
Kael stepped in—not back.
"Hold formation!" Cyrus barked.
The squad reacted instantly.
Three angles intercepted the demon's movement path. One disrupted its footing. One forced its arm open. One created the smallest gap.
That was all Kael needed.
His hand snapped forward.
"Tribulation Mark."
A bolt of compressed lightning didn't explode outward—it pierced.
It hit the demon's shoulder.
No visible wound.
But the energy stuck.
Like something had been branded into its body.
The demon paused for half a second.
Just half.
Then it continued.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…It resisted."
Cyrus frowned.
"That bad?"
Kael didn't answer.
Instead—he moved again.
The squad followed instinctively.
They had realized something fast.
Kael wasn't fighting alone—but he also wasn't carrying them.
He was anchoring them.
Every movement they made fed into his timing. Every opening they created became his entry point.
The demon rushed again.
This time, Kael didn't meet it head-on.
He let it come.
One step.
Two steps.
Closer.
Then—
"Now!"
The squad struck together.
A clean interruption.
Not enough to damage it heavily—but enough to stagger it for a fraction of a second.
Kael capitalized instantly.
"Tribulation Mark."
Another hit.
This time on its torso.
Again—no visible injury.
But the mark stayed.
Cyrus noticed it.
"…It's stacking something."
Kael nodded once.
"Seven layers."
No explanation.
No need.
They adjusted immediately.
The demon was learning too—but slower now. The marks were interfering with its movement rhythm, tiny delays building up where there should have been none.
It clicked its head slightly.
Then its aura flared.
The pressure spiked.
One of the rear members staggered.
"…It's suppressing us…"
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"Hold."
He stepped forward again.
Lightning thickened around his arm, condensing instead of expanding.
The demon moved in response—faster than before.
But Kael was already expecting it.
He didn't block.
He didn't dodge.
He redirected.
The strike passed just beside him, grazing his shoulder.
Pain flashed through his body instantly.
A reminder.
Bloodline state was not free.
Cyrus saw it.
"…Kael—your output's dropping."
"I know."
The demon turned sharply for another strike.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Three marks."
He needed four more.
But the strain was building faster now.
His vision sharpened unnaturally—too sharp.
That was the problem.
Bloodline power didn't just enhance.
It overwrote stability.
The demon attacked again.
Kael raised his hand.
"Tribulation Mark."
Another bolt.
It landed—
But weaker than before.
Cyrus noticed immediately.
"…You're hitting your limit."
Kael didn't deny it.
Because it was true.
The demon felt it too.
It became more aggressive instantly.
It knew.
Kael was reaching the edge of his current capacity.
Three marks held.
Four was difficult.
Five would be dangerous.
Seven—
Was still far.
Too far for this state.
Cyrus stepped in beside him.
"Switch roles. We'll buy you time."
Kael's eyes flicked to him.
For a moment—hesitation.
Then—he nodded once.
"…Don't die."
Cyrus smirked slightly.
"Same to you."
The squad tightened formation immediately.
Pressure shifted.
Kael stepped back half a pace.
Not retreating.
Charging.
Because now—he needed a window.
The demon lunged into the formation.
Chaos erupted again.
Blades.
Skills.
Impact exchanges.
But this time—it was controlled chaos.
Structured.
Cyrus led the interception line perfectly, forcing the demon's movement into tighter angles.
Kael focused.
Breathing slower.
Gathering what was left.
"…One more cycle…"
His body trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From strain.
Then—
An opening appeared.
Small.
Perfect.
Cyrus shouted.
"NOW!"
Kael moved instantly.
No wasted motion.
"Tribulation Mark."
The fourth hit landed.
This time—
The mark stuck deeper.
The demon reacted sharply, staggering for the first time since the fight began.
Kael's breath sharpened.
"…Five…"
But his body protested.
Life force strain began to creep in.
Not visible.
Not dramatic.
But real.
The demon roared.
Pressure exploded outward.
Kael's knees almost buckled—but he held.
Barely.
Cyrus saw it.
"…We need to end this soon."
Kael didn't answer.
Because he was already deciding.
Seven marks was ideal.
But not required.
Sometimes—
Five was enough.
If the timing was perfect.
The demon charged again.
This time—slower.
More deliberate.
It knew Kael was weakening.
Kael lifted his hand slightly.
Lightning flickered—unstable now.
"…Five marks…"
His voice was quiet.
"…That's enough."
The demon closed in.
Kael didn't move.
Cyrus realized it instantly.
"…He's going for it—!"
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"Verdict of the Heavens."
The marks reacted immediately.
Five points of tribulation energy ignited inside the demon's body at once.
The demon froze.
For the first time—
Completely.
Then—
Everything detonated internally.
No external explosion.
Just a violent collapse of energy from within.
The demon staggered backward violently, its body destabilizing as lightning tore through it from the inside out.
It fell to one knee.
Then another.
Then—
Stillness.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Kael stood there for a moment.
Breathing heavily.
Bloodline glow fading.
Then it cut off completely.
His body swayed slightly.
Cyrus caught him by instinct.
"…Tch. You overdid it."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…Just enough."
The demon's body finally collapsed.
Not shattered.
Not erased.
Just… finished.
Kael's vision blurred slightly as the bloodline recoil hit fully.
Life force drain.
Subtle—but present.
Cyrus tightened his grip.
"…You're not using that casually again."
Kael didn't argue.
Because he couldn't.
But even as his body weakened—
His eyes stayed sharp.
------
The first layer of the Abyss had started to feel less like a threshold and more like a shifting hunting ground.
The fog never stayed still anymore.
It moved—subtly—like it was listening.
Zael noticed it immediately.
So did the wolves.
They came in a pack first. Then another. Then a third circling wide to cut off escape routes.
Not random.
Not instinctive.
Structured.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…They're coordinating."
Aurelia stood slightly behind him, calm as always. Black and red robes hanging loosely around her frame, a short staff resting in her hand. She didn't look alarmed. If anything, she looked… attentive.
"They've adjusted," she said simply.
Zael glanced at her.
"…You say that like it's normal."
"It is."
A wolf lunged.
Zael reacted instantly.
"Blade Domain."
A ripple of force snapped outward, disrupting the momentum mid-charge. The wolf hit the invisible pressure and staggered sideways.
[EXP GAINED: +300]
Total EXP: 19,200 / 26,000
Before it could recover—
Aurelia moved.
No chanting.
No skill name.
No visible preparation.
Just a flick of her staff.
A thin distortion rippled through the air.
The wolf's body slowed—noticeably. Not frozen. Not bound. Just… wrong, like time around it had become heavier than it should be.
Then Auralis stepped in.
"…Finally."
She rolled her shoulders like she'd been waiting for permission.
Her outfit contrasted sharply with Aurelia's—tight, reinforced armor designed for direct impact. Heavy where it mattered, flexible where it counted. A large hammer materialized in her hand as she pulled it from her inventory space.
Zael blinked slightly.
"…That's not a light weapon."
Auralis smirked.
"Good observation."
A second wolf rushed her.
She didn't dodge.
She moved forward.
The hammer came down once.
The impact didn't just crush bone—it displaced the ground beneath it. The wolf was flattened instantly, thrown into the dirt like it had been erased from motion entirely.
[EXP GAINED: +350]
Total EXP: 19,550 / 26,000
Zael paused.
"…Berserker type," he muttered.
Auralis tilted her head.
"Is that what you call it?"
Another pack emerged from the fog, faster this time. More aggressive. Learning from the last exchange.
Zael tightened his stance.
"…They're adapting too quickly."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They're not supposed to evolve this fast in the first layer."
A wolf broke through the side.
Zael stepped in—
"Night Sever."
A clean arc of force cut through the air. Two wolves dropped instantly.
[EXP GAINED: +600]
Total EXP: 20,150 / 26,000
But the rest adjusted mid-charge, splitting their approach angles.
Zael clicked his tongue.
"…That's new."
Aurelia raised her staff slightly.
Again—no skill name. No verbal cue.
Just a subtle motion.
The air around the wolves distorted faintly.
Their movements slowed again—but unevenly this time, like different parts of their bodies were experiencing different levels of resistance.
Zael noticed it immediately.
"…That's not normal debuffing."
Aurelia didn't answer.
She never confirmed anything she didn't need to.
Auralis, on the other hand, stepped forward with obvious impatience.
"You think too much."
A wolf leapt at Zael from behind.
Before he could react—
Auralis appeared between them.
Hammer swung upward.
The wolf disappeared from the air entirely, launched so hard it broke trajectory before hitting the ground.
[EXP GAINED: +300]
Total EXP: 20,450 / 26,000
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You're faster than you look."
Auralis glanced back at him.
"I'm exactly as fast as I need to be."
Aurelia shifted slightly, staff angled downward. Another unseen fluctuation passed through the battlefield. One of the wolves mid-charge suddenly misstepped—like it had arrived a fraction too early in its own movement—and Zael capitalized instantly.
"Blade Domain."
Three more fell.
[EXP GAINED: +900]
Total EXP: 21,350 / 26,000
The remaining wolves hesitated.
Just for a second.
That was all the opening Auralis needed.
She stepped forward again, hammer resting on her shoulder.
"Done playing?"
One swing.
Final impact.
The pack collapsed into silence.
Only fog remained, curling slowly around the bodies before fading back into stillness.
Zael lowered his hand slightly, breathing steady.
"...Just a few thousand more exp and he'd level up..",he thought.
"…This layer is changing."
Aurelia nodded once.
"It's responding to intrusion levels."
Auralis stretched her shoulders casually.
"Still boring."
Zael turned slightly toward her.
"…You're too comfortable for someone in the Abyss."
Auralis smirked faintly.
"And you're too cautious for someone still alive."
Aurelia stepped forward, already scanning the fog ahead.
"We should keep moving."
Zael didn't argue.
But his eyes lingered on both of them for a moment longer than usual.
Aurelia—precise, quiet, using effects he didn't recognize. Time felt wrong around her skills. Space too, in subtle ways he couldn't fully track.
Auralis—direct, destructive, overwhelming force disguised as simplicity.
And both of them—
Far too familiar with a place they were supposed to know nothing about.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…Something's off."
Neither of them responded.
They just kept walking.
And deeper in the fog—
The Abyss continued to shift.